Who is the real sannyasi, the real yogi?
“The Blessed Lord said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic: not he who lights no fire and performs no work.” (Bhagavad-gita 6.1)
In this world we see that everyone is acting with some personal interest, some self-interest. Practically everyone is working, even in the spiritual field, with the idea of getting some personal benefit from his activities. Everyone works to maintain his family and everything that is required to support the family — no one is working without some self-interest, some personal gratification.
The benefit people are working for may not be a direct personal benefit.
As one’s interests expand then he starts to work for the benefit of others. For example a young single man may be primarily working for his own personal benefit, but when he gets married his field of interest expands. He then has a wife to take care of and needs so many things to start up his new family life. So his interest expands and he may then be more concerned with working for the benefit of his wife and thinking and making plans for the children.
And when the children come his interests expand even more and his personal interest in the fruits of his work reduces and he becomes more concerned with supplying the needs of his family. However this is still the same principle of self-interest. Ultimately the reason he is interested in serving his family members is that he is part of that family and if the family members are well looked after and happy then he will benefit from that. So this is extended personal interest, but this is still motivated by the desire for personal sense gratification because if the family is happy his personal sense gratification will be better.
This principle of extended personal sense gratification can be expanded further than the family. That is what the philanthropic desire is driven by. A man may feel for the suffering members of his society and want to help them by building hospitals and schools and distributing food to the poor for example. This is an attempt to make the community that he lives in a better place and it is also ultimately driven by the desire for personal sense gratification. It can be extended even more to working for the benefit of the whole country or even the total humanity.
However all of these activities that are driven because of some personal interest are contrary to Krishna consciousness. Perfection in Krishna consciousness means to act in Krishna consciousness without any desire to enjoy the fruits of his work, without any personal interest in the benefits of his work. Acting in Krishna consciousness means working for Krishna, serving Krishna, with no personal interest in the outcome of such service. To act in Krishna consciousness is the duty of every living entity because every living entity is constitutionally a part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. The example which very nicely illustrates this point is that the parts of our bodies work for the satisfaction of the whole body. The arms and legs do not act for their own satisfaction but for the satisfaction of the whole person. Similarly the living entities who act for the satisfaction of the supreme whole and not for any personal interest or personal satisfaction are the perfect sannyasis, the perfect yogis.
There are many sannyasis who artificially think they have become liberated from all material duties and therefore they cease performing the agnihotra-yajnas (fire sacrifices), but actually even they are self-interested, they have some personal desire to benefit from their activities — their goal is to become one with the impersonal Brahman. This desire is greater than any material desire but it is not without self-interest. Similarly the mystic yogi who practices the yoga system meditating with half-open eyes and ceasing all material activities also has some satisfaction for his personal self.
In contrast to everyone else a person acting in Krishna consciousness acts for the satisfaction of the whole, without any self-interest at all. A Krishna conscious person has no desire for self-satisfaction. His criterion of success is the satisfaction of Krishna and thus he is the perfect yogi or the perfect sannyasi. Lord Caitanya, the highest perfectional symbol of renunciation prays in this way: “O Almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor to enjoy beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. What I want only is the causeless mercy of Your devotional service in my life, birth after birth.”
So the Krishna conscious person’s only desire is to serve Krishna, to please Krishna. And he is happy if Krishna becomes pleased by his service. If there is something that appears to be quite distressing and painful to him from the personal point of view, but that thing pleases Krishna, then the devotee will gladly accept this personal discomfort and actually be very much satisfied if he sees that Krishna has become pleased because of his activities. Also a Krishna conscious person will reject something that ordinary one would consider very desirable and a source of great pleasure if that thing does not give Krishna pleasure. He has no personal interest in or attachment to the results of his work.
About the Author
Madhudvisa dasa My first contact with a Hare Krishna was a most merciful Mataji in Oxford Street, London who sold me a "Higher Taste" cook book in 1984 while I was on holidays there. I started seriously reading Srila Prabhupada's books in Australia 1985 and by 1986 Srila Prabhupada had convinced me "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and "we should surrender to Krishna." I joined the Hare Krishnas in Perth, Western Australia in 1986. Since then I have been chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and preaching as much as I can. That's my life and full-time occupation now really. I like it more than anything I've ever experienced before. Srila Prabhupada's books are so amazing... Even after reading them all many times they're still fresh and new. They are truly transcendental! That's it really. Now I'm just hankering to once again see the world chant Hare Krishna, dance and feast and float away in the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement as it did in Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Let the whole world drown in the ecstatic flood of love of Krishna!
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Hare Krishna Govinda !!!
Thnk u very much for ur explanations and elaborate informations. I m not finding much queries as I m already fond of dese answers dats y not replying to every mails but on daily going on ur explanations I feel to ask u dat do v need to read urs r Gita even though both r same?? I usually read Gita only in d evening before dinner r on sundays in d mng wenever I get time but bfore hvng nonveg. How abt ur mails??? Since it is in mobile I m going thru like dis early mngs r during working at office, in d evening’s. Further more I need to knw wat else I hv to do to impress Krishna, ofcourse u, d spiritual master, even though I m walking wit u I m not able to b calm during problems, during practical issues, discussions ofcourse I m taking easily dat its d part of Sri Krishna’s Leela in playing wit humans and its our own karma. By day to day happenings I feel I still hv to cleanse me but pl tell me how ??? Also let me knw weder to chant hare Krishna fo I need to sit and chant r put srila chanting in player and chant wit dat, is both r same….i will b chanting at off wen I feel depressed, wen I m angry, while riding vehicle… Wat does dese all means…..
I feel d details u r gvng r still basic, cud u pl let me knw still deeper, still exact info, I want to knw dyana yoga in depth.
Thnk u
Hare Krishna Gowri
You need to read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books. All your questions are answered there, in Prabhupada’s books, in great detail. I am just giving a little introduction and the idea of my emails is just to encourage you to study Srila Prabhupada’s books. So it is much more important to read Srila Prabhupada’s books than reading my emails.
So please get and read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books. You will find everything you are looking for there.
You can read online at:
http://prabhupadabooks.com
and you can purchase at:
http://krishnastore.com
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Sir..
I want to know that what is left after our death. Our gross body gets destroyed but does our mind, intelligence etc. also gets destroyed? What constitute our subtle body? Do the thoughts of our mind go further with us after death?
Hare Krishna Priya
We have three bodies: gross–earth, water, fire, air and ether; subtle–mind, intelligence and false ego; and spiritual, the spirit soul.
So when we change bodies it means giving up the gross material body only. So our subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego continues with us. So disembodied spirits like ghosts still have their mind, intelligence and false ego, so they still remember who they are even though the body is gone.
This subtle body carries the spirit soul to its next gross body. So the same mind, intelligence and false ego continue on into the next body but at the time of birth the living entity generally forgets his past lives. But he carries on his previous mind, intelligence and false ego.
When he is liberated then it is only the spirit soul with his real spiritual intelligence and mind and ego that goes to the spiritual world, both gross and subtle bodies are discarded at this time.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
The question that I have is in today’s world where a person has to do a job to look after his family’s needs, how does a person work in complete Krishna consciousness? Ultimately everyone has to work to keep his family satisfied or his company satisfied. So then in today’s world what should a family person do?
He should ultimately retire from the family. That is the Vedic system. Have some sons and as soon as they are grown up and can look after the family and the business then you can leave the family. That is the idea of Krishna consciousness. Detachment from family life. Family life is a big distraction from spiritual life. So the idea is yes, we have to be in family life for some time, but also we have to give up the family life at some time to seriously prosocute Krishna consciousness.
Hare KRISHNA Prabhu,
Thanks for the above post and i enjoy reading your scholarly writings.
My question is what is the meaning of AND WHO WORKS AS HE IS OBLIGED in the blessed verse of Srimad Bhagvad Gita?
Second question is as a married man are we not required to look after wife and children and for that in today’s market society one has to work and spend fruit of work for the welfare of his family? Is it right to offer some of the portion of earned money for the service of the Lord?
I appreciate if you kindly show me the right path.
Thanks
ANIS MAHAR
You can not just pick a few words out of a Bhagavad-gita verse and ask me to explain a few words. I have explained the verse in this article so you can read it again and if you have any problems understanding the explanation then let me know.
Yes, of course family man needs to support his family. But Krishna consciousness is about detachment from family. So you should have some son who can take over looking after the family affairs after you are about 50 years old, then you can retire from the family life and spend the reset of your life cultivating Krishna consciousness.
The idea of family life is to give it up, not that we get trapped in family life and die surrounded by and attached to wife, children, grandchildren, etc.
No. The idea is to get free from family life. That is called Vanaprastha, and that should be taken by a man at about 50 years of age. By this time he should have a grown-up son who can take charge of the family affairs so you are free to leave the trap of the family.
Hare Krishna !! What activities please Krishna ??
You have to find a bona fide spiritual master and surrender to him and follow his instructions. That, and only that, will please Krishna. Krishna we can not please directly. We have to find the pure devotee of Krishna and please him, that is the way to please Krishna.
All glories to Prabhupad,
How to please Krishna being a grahasta? please narrate the actions & examples from day to day life. We are unable to distinguish between normal work & work performed for satisfying Krishna. Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna
The way to please Krishna is the same for everyone. Lord Caitanya’s movement is for everyone and the way of pleasing Krishna is the same for everyone. Firstly we can not try to directly please Krishna. That is not possible and not recommended by Krishna. Krishna recommends we approach a bona fide spiritual master, surrender to him and serve him. So we need to read Srila Prabhupada’s books, surrender to Srila Prabhupada and serve him. Not that we can directly please Krishna. The way to please Krishna is by pleasing Krishna’s pure devotees. There is no other way to please Krishna.
So for a start we need to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, we need to very strictly follow the four regulative principles: no illicit sex [for grhastha means sex is only permitted for having children], no meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication. And we need to read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours every day.
So we need to surrender to these simple things at least. Without these simple things there is no chance we can please Krishna. Pleasing Krishna is not a very cheap thing. We have to become very dedicated and very serious about serving Srila Prabhupada if we want to please Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
In Bhagavathgeetha it is said that we all must work as per the direction of God without expecting anything, but we can absorb anything what we got. Isn’t it? and God will direct us in all our works without the notice of anyone and we must be able to understand the direction of God anyhow. But swamiji how can we understand the direction of God?
Thanking you and hopping a direction
Hare Krishna
We can not understand the direction of God in our conditioned state. That is why it is essential to have a bona fide spiritual master and surrender to him. He can understand the direction of God and if we surrender to him and follow his orders then we will be engaged in the service of God.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I acknowledge with thanks, receiving your most valuable articles and understood the real facts of Prabhupada’s teachings.
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
i want to know that if someone who is indulges or doing activities to make his/her parents,grand parents happy & keen desire to serve them by working hard & by remembering the almighty but not by harming others in any way but by performing good activities,Is it a personal interest.According to me if this is a personal interest then to please god by leaving everything is also a personal interest. reply me as soon as possible.
Yes. Serving the family is a personal interest, it is maya. This family attraction is one of the strongest things that drags us away from Krishna consciousness and forces us to be trapped in the material world eternally. That is why it is the Vedic culture that at the age of 50 a man takes Varnaprastha and retires from family life and puts the responsibility for the family business, etc, to his sons. The Vedic system is one of renunciation of family life. It is allowed of course but it is not that one is supposed to stay in the family life surrounded by the ‘loving’ relatives up to death. That is a terrible thing and almost guarantees one will remain firmly trapped in the strong grips of maya.
Krishna consciousness means giving up family attachments.
There are many things given about real sannyasi in Bhagavad Gita, but above you just gave one part.
Would you let me know about other details of sannyasi as per Bhagavad Gita.
P.Suryavanshi
sannyasi’s are four kind, ” adha bhikshunaam moksharthinha kudeechika bahudakahamsa paramahamsaschethi chathwaraha”
but in this movement there is very rare sannyassi ‘s are in world or may be no any that kind of real sannyassi available, as per Uanishath specifications the sannyasam is categorized , can you tell me is anybody is in quality of that level, yes , we can see after Shankaracharya the real sannyassi only in Himalaya……this is truth
It is very, very difficult to find a real sannyasi these days. Even in the Himalayan mountains you will generally not find. Mostly they are high on drugs and selling drugs to the tourists…
Hare Krishna, Radhey Radhey Prabhu ji
Prabhu ji how can i get away from this personal sense gratification? By totally being devoted to Krishna?
I cook for Krishna, i study for him, etc but it somehow benefits me, should i take that benefit as a mercy on me by Krishna ji? Because if i do so then only my devotion will be considered true by him.
Hare Krishna, Radhey Radhey Prabhu ji
Rather than getting confused and thinking all these things when you have time spend it reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and chanting Hare Krishna and all your questions will be automatically answered. Do not bother your mind with things like this. Just accept that in the beginning you can not understand everything about Krishna consciousness but your duty is to simply strictly follow the four regulative principles, chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day and read Srila Prabhupada’s books and follow the instructions you find Srila Prabhupada giving you as you read his books. This is all. And if you are confused then just keep chanting Hare Krishna and keep reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and very soon your confusion will disappear and everything will become completely clear.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Is it possible for a person who is very much engaged in materialistic action to survive in the world can
abandon his duties and responsibilities without caring His duties. Even if one is able, is it a right action?
It is not recommended that one abandon his duties. It is recommended that one add Krishna consciousness to his life and that he perform his duties in Krishna consciousness. The science of how to do this Srila Prabhupada explains elaborately in his books. So you need to read Srila Prabhupada’s books to understand how to do this.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krishna
Dear Madhudvisa Prabhu, all glories to Srila Prabhupada and his sankirtana devotees! I have a query regarding the Krishna-playing his flute picture in this very article. Me and my wife are planning to start importing and distributing dried mango fruit from the Philippines. Prabhupada tells us that the said fruit is the topmost compared to other varities and we know there is nothing like it! Since I am a gray official, tired of working in the city hall, we would very much like to see our business started. Our company is already here, the Hare Krishna revival Movement in Finland. Now we kindly ask permission to use this Krishna-painting to promote the mango. We would like to print it on the sticker for the 200g Mango-bags. We are looking for a Krishna-the flute player pic with a mango-like tree as the background, we think this one would be the very best! Where can we turn to ask the right permission?
Hare Krishna Prabhu
I can not give you permission. Of course it is Krishna, you can ask Him and if He says ‘yes’ no one can stop you. But if you want official permission from someone you would have to ask the BBT… Or you can go to India and find a similar painting. Or find an artist and get them to paint a similar painting…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I don’t quite understand that “back” to Godhead, as Jivas we never were In Godhead, but we do have the opportunity to, don’t you think ? Please enlight me on this point, thank you . Yours faithfully, Benjamin.
I can’t enlighten you if you have already made up your mind… If you want me to enlighten you you have to be open and be prepared to accept what I say as the truth. Otherwise it is impossible for me to enlighten you…
swqmyji
pranam. A very good articles. So many doubts on the concept of “sevices”have been cleared.Thank you very much.
ys
natarajan
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
Ishan praphu simplified my work in saying (on 30th march)that we should do whatever work in our hand even for full life but do with full Love and surrender to KRISHNA! Because in case of daily wage earner or an employee like me I have to work full time to get daily bread but If I do this with Krishna in my heart I think that’s ok. Is it the Correct interpretation Prabhu?
Hare Krishna Krishnan
The idea is to work for Krishna. So if you are going to work that means you are making money, so to spiritualize this work then you have to use the money in the service of Krishna. That is the answer.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear Madhudvisa Prahu,
I’m not receiving your newsletters from few days. Please continue to send me these wonderful newsletters. I really appreciate them and get a lot of spiritual help from them. Thank you.
your servant,
Aryan Krishna
Hard Krishna prabhu thank you for all the wonderful literature it is difficult to find a sincere guru I realised that I need one and hope to find one soon I do own a bhagwan Gita as it is and have other. books as well
hare Krishna,
Sir i have subscribed to your website and i didn’t get any recent notifications from the month of march…I am eagerly reading all your articles….I really need your wise words for the improvement of my knowledge in krishna consciousness….kindly please take a look over my issue and clear my problem…thank you…hare Krishna…
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
How do we do our duties which are ordained upon us without becoming affected by the karma that attaches to our actions. It is said that unless we rid ourselves of all the karma either of this or our earlier births, no salvation is possible. How do we negate the bad karma of our earlier births or of our past relating to this birth itself? How do we make amends for the above, so that we freed from the repeated cycle of birth and death? Kindly enlighten.
A devotee only performs activities for Krishna. He never does anything for himself or anyone else. He surrenders to Krishna and serves Krishna. That is the way to get rid of the reactions to work. Because if you are working for Krishna there is no reaction. So you have to adjust your life so your every activity is performed in the service of Krishna for the pleasure of Krishna. And the bona fide spiritual master can guide you how to do this… Read Prabhupada’s books. And the way to get rid of the karma that is already stored up in our hearts from our sinful and pious activities in the past is by chanting:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear Mohan,
In the 18th chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Krishna declares:
SARVA DHARMAN PARITYAYA
MAM EKAM SHARANAM VRAJA
AHAM TWAM SARVA PAPEBYO
MOKSHAYISYAMI MA SUCHAH
Translation: “Just give up all conceptions and concerns about dharma and simply surrender your heart to Me in love. In return I will free you from all of the reactions to your karma. Do not have any fear. Just do it!”
So in all of our activites, we simply try to remember Krishna and disharge our duties with a desire to please Krishna, to do them in a way that would be pleasing to Him, whether washing a pot or preparing a financial statement. And we read about Krishna, chant His holy Names, and cultivate our loving feelings for Him in all these ways. And Krishna promises that he will remove all of our karma.
This is really wonderful, is it not?
Hare Krishna! Ishan das
Please don’t take this the wrong way. I’m just asking a question, but doesn’t wanting to please Krishna have some self-interest or desire associated with it too? Like Christians are Christan so the will go to heaven instead of hell. That’s a self-interest or reward too.
Wanting to please Krishna does not have self interest. You are wanting to please Krishna. You are wanting to please Him not yourself. So you will accept something that ordinary would be very displeasing to you, if it makes Krishna happy, and you will reject something that ordinary you would consider to be the greatest pleasure, if that is displeasing to Krishna. So the devotee’s sense of happiness is he is happy when he sees that his service has made Krishna happy.
Actually there is of course a great benefit for the devotee himself in serving Krishna, because through serving Krishna he will become Krishna conscious and reawaken his dormant Krishna consciousness and that will make him unlimited happy. Actually this is the only way a person can become actually happy, by surrendering to Krishna and serving Him.
But a devotee does not serve Krishna for his own benefit, he serves Krishna for Krishna’s benefit…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hi Madhu,
where is my post, and where is your answer to my question.. ?
above.. when does GOD come ?
1) as yuga chakra you mentioned in blog, that Kali Yuga is 4lakh some thing year..
the answer ?
Krishna born 5000 year ago, which was dwapar Yuga.
Rama is ther in Treta Yuga…it was aprox 5114 bc
krishana born aprox 3000 bc
it means Dwapara is only of 2000 year.
but in your blog it mentioned dwapara is of some 8 lakh year.. ??
in this way Kali Yuga will take mone 3lakh yer some thing more..
which is flaw..
Kali Yuga will end soon…
Don Delete , Answer and clarify my doubts..
i puzzled wen u delete comments,, seems u are escaping..!!!!
Hare Krishna…….
Hare Krishna Tapan
I do not have time to answer everything and you can not expect me to answer everything. If you ask a nice question I will answer it.
Here you are confused and the article is clear so if you simply re-read the article your confusion will be finished.
Kali Yuga is not going to finish for a very long time. It started just after Krishna left this planet some 5,000 years ago and it will run for more than 400,000 years. So Kali-yuga has over 400,000 years still to run. It is not ending any time soon…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna! Bruce,
Yes, initially an aspiring devotee will undoubtedly have self-interest at heart. That is natural.
We understand that Krishna has made this world as a place of so much suffering, for no other reason than to discourage our perverse desires to enjoy apart from Him. And therefore it is to be expected that we will turn to Him out of a desire to end that suffering. That turning is a sign of intelligence.
However, as the devotee grows stronger in his cultivation of love for Krishna, two things will happen. One thing is that the devotees heart will become so filled with happiness that he will not desire anything more for himself. And the other thing is that as he becomes intoxicated with feelings of love for Krishna, all that he wiull desire is to give pleasure to Krishna.
So, yes, we are all trying to solve the problems of life in different ways. And the neophyte devotee is also on that track. But he is turning to God in order to make a solution to the problems of life, by leaving this material realm. That is to be expected. That is intelligent. And that will evolve to the highest platform of selfless love for God.
Good question. Hare Krishna! Ishan das
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
I’ve not been receiving newsletters lately. Probably this was the last one i received in my mailbox.
Wanted to make sure if I’m still subscribed to the mailer !
Please keep enlightening us all.
Thanks.
HI Madhu , jai shree kreeshna.
Yada Yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata……
SINs that some one can merely imagine of. already happened on earth.
Saints treated as thieves and corrupted, fallen peoples treated as celebrities.
Shame, disappeared from the mind of women and men.
All world already suffered from moral decline,
a porn star treated as celebrity and a devotee treated as a awkward person.
almost every were people made money God, and sex, worship…
human treated other human as nothing…. just a creature…
all people violated the name LOVE, and made it a medium of sex.
Humanity is crying , Mother earth is crying, Darma dieing…
WHEN DO GOD Will come ? for what he is waiting for….. ?
some time i really became angry on him… !!!
some time i think all are fake !!! God never will come…
Yada yada hi dharmasya……. is fake !!!!
jai Siv,
Please Help me to come out of this dilema ..
Dear Tapan,
Hare Krishna! You are very sensitive and very intelligent. Your perception of the insanity of this material world is completely correct. Your ability to see this world for what it really is is rare and clear.
Now you must also understand that the solution has been freely given. This material world is an insane asylum for those souls who are envious of Krishna and who want to be God. That is the explanation for why they are all behaving in this way. And along with their bad behavior there comes so much suffering. And that is for their benefit so that they will have a change of heart.
The invitation is open to everyone to leave this materail realm and return to the spiritual realm. The only qualification is that we have to reawaken and cultivate our love for Krishna to the mature point where all material self-centered desires exist no longer, and all we want is to please Krishna. Then we can return to Krishna.
So the solution has been provided and it is up to all of us as individuals to implement this in our own lives. We have to chant God’s holy names, Hare Krishna, Hare Rama, and live our lives as devotees. All of the details and guidance are in Srila Prabhupada’s books, and they are available to you also.
So you should not be displeased, because all of this has been made available to us. This world will never be a nice place. God’s solution is not to make this a nice place. His solution is provide you with the teachings so that you leave this place. And this He has done. Now it is up to you to take advantage of these blessings and do the work. Make your life pure, your heart pure, develope your love for Krishna, and go back home.
Hare Krishna! Ishan das
Hare Krishna Prabhu. Thanks for your en-lightning words.
Can you please make me understand , what is the meaning of serving Krishna and Pleasing krishna means in details.
I have a small child and serving her and pleasing her means, fulfilling her requirements at physical, mental and spiritual level
similarly Krishna is a Person, what can be his need be as he is all and all.
why our service is required to him to get satisfaction
Hare Krishna Ashok
You have to learn how to please Krishna from your spiritual master. It is different for different people. The spiritual master, the pure devotee of Krishna has the ability to see a particular disciple and his qualities and he can understand how that disciple can be engaged in the service of Krishna.
So first you have to find a bona fide spiritual master and surrender to him and server him. He will guide you how to please Krishna. You can not please Krishna without surrendering to and serving and pleasing Krishna’s pure devotee. That is the only way to please Krishna. You can not please Krishna directly. You have to go through His pure devotees.
So I suggest you read Srila Prabhupada’s books for more details on this Prabhu.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna
Shri Dasa ji,I am ready to make my parents Krishna conscious but I cannot assure that I would be able to make my wife and than my children Krishna conscious because it is not that easy to do this.As I am living in a society where community believes in making life luxurious by raising your standards of living and earning more and more. The way of living life of the people in my immediate relation is also very different from the path of Krishna consciousness. So why to take risk, can’t I just stay with my parents relocate to Shri Dham Vrindavan? Why to take risk by entering another family circle, and than if I fail to meet their materialistic requirements it will daily lead to unusual quarrels thus disturbing the peace of all?
Dear Salil,
Hare Krishna! If you have these strong feelings to avoid involvement with family affires, or to avoid increasing this involvement, then your attitude is completely in line with shastra. you are on eof the rare people who actually have this good sense and clarity of vision. I am confident that Srila Prabhupada would encourage you to tend to your duties nicely,keeping your life as simple as possible, so that you can concentrate more on more on your krishna Consciousness, and Krishna will help you to find your way always closer to His lotus feet.
If you were attracted to more material involvement, then that can be permitted by making the whole arrangement as Krishna conscious as possaible. But as the attraction is not there, you are most fortunate and that much closer to winding up your affaires in this material world and going back home to live with Krishna in Krishna Loka. This is very intelligent and very good.
Hare Krishna! Ishan das
Hare Krishna Prabhuji,
First of all I would like to thank you for all these wonderful thoughts which are making not only our life easy but also taking us towards our real self.
My question is:
What is the real karma of a human being? I am so confused because I want to spend my whole life only in Krishna bhakti and in the service of holy saints.But my parents want me to get marry at earliest, as I am their only son, they do not want me to go deep into this path,probably they want someone to look after them in their old age.But I really dont want to get marry and waste my life in the upbringing of family as it is vicious circle of maya which can take me away from my real path. So shall I leave my home? or what, please help! Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!
There is no where to go these days really. You would probably be better off getting married to a nice girl and training her and your family in Krishna consciousness. Family life does not have to be maya. It is up to you. You can make your family maya or you can make it Krishna conscious.
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa dasa
I am really much happy to receive this new letter. Every word impressed me much. Let God give me some more life to hear more about krishna.
With pranams
Hare krishna k.v.raqngaswamy
hare krishna,
plz tell me how to cope with our enemies and to get read from them.
thanking you
dev
The real enemy is our mind. Our mind is telling us to do so many sinful things and we are following its dictation. So we have to control the mind by Krishna consciousness. That will get rid of our real enemy, the uncontrolled mind. Other enemies are not very important. Of course if we preach Krishna consciousness there will be many enemies but they can not do anything because Krishna protects His devotees. We have to know that and have faith in that… Of course we have to be actually Krishna’s devotee otherwise how can we expect Him to protect us?
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Thanks a lot for your article that has touched my heart with a message to think over my ‘do’s. Lord Krishna, in our belief, is the God of all Gods. Whatever name may be uttered or think for the allmighty, there should not be any dishonour or impatience. We have borned in a country where it is believed that ‘yata mat tat path’. Let us live in our own way without hurting anybody’s belief.
hare krishna . jay prabhu padh
your reply to amal is very good it is also said by rupa goswami about this in bhakthi rasam rutha about vuthama bhakthi.plz send con. sending me about lord
Hare Krishna Prabhu! All Glories to Shrila Prabhu Pada!
I am going through some very hard times financially trying to establish my self here in US. I have been vegetarian since 1998 and following Krishna Conscious and I consider myself to be the lowest of the lowest class of devotees. I have been sick so not gone to work for a month now. I tried to have another couple rent the other bedroom in my apartment to help me keep up. They were eating meat and only paid the first rent. I gave them the ultimatum to pay or leave but writing and presenting that letter just hurt me so much. Even when I write it now I have tears in my eyes. I felt so sorry for them and as much as I wanted to help them I am not in a capacity to even help myself. I cried in front of Krishna to give me the strength to overcome this but seems like I have stabbed myself. I am so confused what to do. I need to support my wife but I don’t like the idea of hurting others. I took the Mrdanga and sang Kirtan trying wash away this grief with tears but I feel I have done such a bad thing. I do not even know when I will be homeless perhaps within this month but I feel so much for the couple who were not devotees in one manner but believed in God and hence devotees. My chest is heavy with this guilt that I have hurt Krishna’s children trying to ease my burden. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
Hare Krishna prabhu,
Thanks for your mail, I am very happy to always getting your powerfull mails.
This is very strong vers of Bhagtgita, and your expaltion is very nice anbody easily understand meaning of this, what lord kishna is saying,
this is very easy to understand goal of human body and whoom we will select or accept guru or snyasi or yogi.
hari bol,
ajay
Hare Krishna,
My question is can we achieve that utter stage of spirituality being in a family ?
As per my knowledge, Krishna also had a family, he had a mother, had a lover, had friends. This confuses me when spiritual masters all across, instruct people to leave families and become a yogi.
Can’t we just look at it as a beautiful mechanism showered upon mankind by supreme personality of godhead. Will it be fine to leave your mother crawling and serve krishna, isn’t it more important to serve your mother first ?
Please enlighten…
No Deepak it is not more important to serve your mother than to serve Krishna. The idea of Krishna consciousness is that by serving Krishna everyone is benefited. So the best way you can benefit your mother is by becoming a pure devotee of Krishna. Because for a pure devotee of Krishna at least 7 generations of the family will be liberated. The family is not a beautiful mechanism showered upon us, it is a manifestation of maya that implicates and entangles us more and more in the material concept of life and the Vedic culture is to reduce family attachment.
Family is only good if you can organize it so all the family members are cooperating together to serve Krishna. Then the family is a very good thing. Otherwise it is not good.
But still we are not saying leave the family. We are saying stay in the family and serve Krishna and engage the other family members in the service of Krishna and then the family can be very good, if it is engaged in the service of Krishna.
Sri Dasa,
How do we know directly from Krisna ..,if we are
Doing or performing for his Satisfaction!!
You have to find a pure devotee of Krishna, a spiritual master, he knows if Krishna is pleased or not, and he can guide you.https://krishna.org/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?comment_status=moderated#
Hare Krishna Prabhuji
Thanks for the inspirational discourse. I seek your guidance on the issue that if we serve mandkind especially poor and destitute is also a service to God because there is an element of almighty in all of us.
So if we do some social service open hospitals, orphanage, oldage homes won’t that constitute service to God. Please advice.
Arvind Mahajan
NO. If you want to serve God you have to serve Godge You can not serve God by serving the poor.
Serving the poor is an activity in the mode of goodness, it is a pious activity, it generates good karma and it may even help elevate one to the platform of serving God but it is not serving God, it is serving the poor…
Hare Krishna Prabhuji
Thanks a lot for clarification.
Your dasa
Isn’t God consciousness in the poor? How is it that by serving the poor that you are not serving God?
NO. God consciousness is no more in the poor than it is in the rich. Actually God consciousness has nothing to do with poor or rich. Serving God is serving God. That is all. Serving the poor has nothing to do with serving God. It can be mundane pious activity, and you may get good karma from it. But it can be bad karma as well. If you give a poor man some money and he purchases alcohol with it and gets drunk then you are implicated in his sinful activities. So that is bad karma for you. So anyhow, the answer to your question is that NO, serving the poor is ABSOLUTELY NOT SERVING GOD.
dude your are on the right track all the best
hare krishna prabhu
please i want to purchase download digital downloads of srila prabhupada original books as it is just like reading srila prabhupada’s real printed original books with color plates at krishnastore.com.if it is available give me the link. if it is not please make this facility available because all wants to read prabhupada original books available in gallery format means is the cheapest books.i want the original books of prabhupada download in ebook format as it is presented in the real printed books at krishnastore.com
We do not have the digital books with the pictures yet but are working on that.
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa Dasa,
Thank you so much for the newsletters. I wanted to ask you, if you can elaborate the term “service to lord krishna”. In what all ways do we please lord krishna apart from kirtans. Does it mean to spread krishna consiousness or much more than it?
Please read Prabhupada’s books Prabhu. I am just giving a few hints here and hoping to inspire you to read Prabhupada’s books. That is where you will find the complete information on how to serve Krishna in all respects.
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa,
Can you please explain me with the help of examples the ways to act in Krishan conciousness. I am still confused and unable to understand which is to please Krishna (not understood as yet) and which is not to pleased Him (however understood to the extent that anything done for sense gratification is not to satisfy the senses of Krishna).
Please make me understand with the help of FEW EXAMPLES so that I could understand what types of work should be performed for the satisfaction of Vishnu and anything performed for sense gratification will be the cuase of material bondage and will give good and bad result as per ones karma.
Kind Regards,
Akhil
Read Prabhupada’s books Prabhu, everything is there.
Hare Krishna
My question is if one’s motherland will be attacked by the foreign powers, and the armed forces are insufficient to thwart the foreign attack then what is the duty of the people of Hare Krishna movement that is the people who are attached with this Krishna’s conscious movements? Will they pick up arms to defend the country or in that situation they will chant the mahamantra
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”
The ksatriyas will pick up their guns and fight and the brahmanas will pick up their bead bags and chant Hare Krishna…
Hari bol !!!
Excellent article prabhu… Indeed an eye-opener. Please grace me by understanding better the following situation –
(1) Anywork done in Krsna conscious is like a rea sanyasi doing his duty without expectation. Is this understanding right ?
(2) Apart from so many work or karmas, on an average, a person spends 10 to 12 hours of his wakeful state towards his profession. Please advice how can I execute my profession with “Sanyaasa” mindset ?
(3) I am a salesman by profession. How do I make it Krsna Conscious ?
Hare Krishna Prabhuji
Please provide some examples of what is serving Krishna for one to be a yogi and yet live a civil life and not running from his professional and personal duties as a householder. The examples will make it easy to understand.
There are nine types of service: Hearing about Krishna, chanting about Krishna, remembering Krishna, worshiping Krishna’s lotus feet, worshiping Krishna in the temple, offering prayers to Krishna, serving Krishna, and surrendering everything completely to Krishna–mind, body, words and self.
So this is service to Krishna.
Your work is to earn some money and if you utilize that money completely in the service of Krishna then your work becomes spiritualized, this is karma-yoga. And if you make your home a temple and consider that it is Krishna’s home and Krishna is the propriety and if you engage all your family members in the service of Krishna and you are all rising in the morning before 4:00 AM and offering mangal aroti and chanting Hare Krishna and reading Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita and in the evening also having kirtan and aroti, and offering bhoga to the Deities and accepting Krishna prasadam with your family and guests then that is Krishna conscious householder life.
Srila Prabhupada made it very clear that he was establishing the temple program not just for the temples but all householders are meant to establish the Diety in their homes and with their families follow the same schedule of Deity worship, etc, as is done in the temples.
You have to remember that your only duty as a householder is to make your dependents Krishna conscious. So as a householder that is your main service.
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
This is what I also wanted to know. I am an employee and taking care of my family who are staying with me. So I need to just think of Krishna every time and do my duty for Krishna pleasure so that I excel in my work also. Indirectly it means I will concentrate more in my service to lord because I will get promoted and get more money. And continue this service up to the time somebody takes my position to earn for the dependents.
Sometimes when I think of doing all these things, I get a feeling that I want to show and get popular among my friends and relatives by doing some different that they dont do. Yes prabhu this feeling fills me at first thought of doing full devotional service to lord. Am i using this Krishna service also for my benefit (being popular). I think so Prabhu. Please help me to engage fully with body and mind to serve Krishna so that the roots of this thought goes weak. Hare Krishna prabhu!
The idea is we have to work for Krishna. So you need to transform your work so you use the results of that work in the service of Krishna. That is the secret.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna
please can you guide us as how to analise that krishna is pleased or not.
Generally people think if they have money house wife good life that means god is pleased with them and viceversa.
Hari Bol
thankyou for your valuable time
Hare Krishna Nar
Krishna is pleased if we can please His pure devotees. That is all. We have no ability to approach Krishna directly and please Him. That is not the system. We approach His pure devotees, surrender to them and serve them. That is the way to please Krishna. Of course you have to be very careful to actually find a pure devotee of Krishna otherwise you will be in a very difficult position, because unless someone is actually a pure devotee of Krishna if you surrender to them and serve them they will have no ability whatsoever to correctly instruct you how to serve Krishna and your spiritual life will be destroyed.
So you need to study Srila Prabhupada’s books very thoroughly, all of Srila Prabhupada’s books, and when you have completely understood everything that Srila Prabhupada is teaching us in his books you will be qualified to understand who is a pure devotee and who you should surrender to and serve and who you should avoid.
Of course having money and a good wife is not necessarily a sign that Krishna is pleased with someone at all. This is a sign that the person has performed pious activities in his previous life because one can not become wealthy and have a good wife without performing pious activities. But this ‘karma-kand’ activity of performing pious activities so I will be wealthy and get a good wife is a completely materialistic activity and has no spiritual connection at all really. This type of activity will never enable one to become free from the cycle of birth and death, free from the cycle of samsara. Because he doesn’t want to be free from the cycle of birth and death. He wants to take birth again in the material world and have a beautiful wife and be very powerful and wealthy… This is 100% materialistic and 100% not Krishna conscious at all.
We have to realize that this beautiful wife and money is all illusion and can not help us at all in the ultimate issue. And we have to give up our attachment to beautiful wife and money and simply become attached to serving Krishna and chanting:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Madhudvisa dasa, Hi just want to let you know how much I appreciate your e-mails and your thoughts on Krishna Consciousness!
Hare Krishna Prabhu. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
My question is , if he pleases krishna, without taking care of his wife, children, parents, relatives or others, is it a good thing? because all of them are dependent on the earning and care of the person earning for the family right?
or we still have to take care of the extended interest but in a krishna conscious way, I mean without thinking that the extended family, society etc are mine, rather they are krishna’s and I have a duty towards all of them (Krishna’s children) at physical level, mental level and spiritual level as well…Will this means pleasing krishna or not?
Can one only focus on 9 devotional process of devotional services only without fulfilling his duty towards his dependents? will that be pleasing krishna?
Please enlighten me further…
Hare Krishna Ashok
A devotee’s interest is only pleasing Krishna, nothing else. So whatever position he finds himself in then he tries to please Krishna in that position. So in the family life he will see the family members not as family members actually because that is only a bodily conception of life. He will see from the spiritual platform that these living entities have somehow appeared in this situation and we are living together like this in a family situation so how can I help them to become Krishna conscious. How can I engage them in Krishna’s service. A devotee’s duty to his dependents is simply to make the Krishna conscious. Srila Prabhupada so often quotes the verse guru na sa syat pita na sa syat… that one should not become a guru, one should not become a father, etc, unless he can save his dependents from the cycle of birth and death.
A devotee does not have this bodily concept of life that these are my family members. He is not seeing on the bodily platform, he sees spiritually. He sees everyone as a part-and-parcel of Krishna, everyone as a servant of Krishna. So he does not really see family members any different from anyone else. But he is in that position of a family man and it is his duty as a father or a husband to make his dependents Krishna conscious. That’s all. And if they don’t want to become Krishna conscious despite him trying his best to convince them then he has no business staying in that family situation and he can leave. There is no material duty for a devotee actually. He is not bound by these mundane bodily materialistic designations at all.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear Ashok,
I have read Madhudivisa Prabhu’s answer to you, and I cannot disagree with it, in principle. However, I can understand that not everyone can be so strong and “cut and dried” in their approach to Krishna consciousness.
I have given an answer to the other gentelman, above, on Jan 6. and that may be helpful for you.
My personal feeling and understanding is that Madhudvisa Prabhu is more advanced in his spiritual developement than most of us, and he can very naturally take this uncompromising position. But for many of us, this may not be possible, because of family affection.
However, Krishna is very kind. I am inclined to say that the approach you are putting forward is a very good approach. You can fulfill your duties with a desire to please Krishna in all of your activites.
There is also the possability that gradually your family members will learn from your example. Even many years later, a son or daughter may remember how the father was so devoted and that will help them to have a change of heart.
I am thinking that Madhdivisa Prabhu is correct in what he is saying, and also you are correct. And each of us has to determine in his heart where he stands on this continuum, just what is the position of the family members, what is the level of attachment. There are so many considerations.
Krishna does not want to break our hearts. He wants us to approach Him with as much sincerity as we can from our present position, and He will help us in this way. Madhudvisa is correct. There is no doubt of this. But each man must understand his own unique way how to approach Krishna with love and gratitude. Sometimes one may quit all family connection, and then he may end up with another family in Vrindavan. This also is not good. So if we try to keep the 4 regulative principles and do sadhana morning and evening, surely the family will benefit and you will benefit.
Placing my head at Madhudvisa Prabhu’s feet, I wish to encourage you to go forward in your spiritual life with your obvious sincerity.
Hare Krishna! Ishan das
Now I understand clearly who and how one can become a real Sannyasi or the real yogi. My understanding is that one can also be a yogi while performing duties staying in a family life while stay away from aspiration of gaining personal benefits. As a person with shallow knowledge like me would do his duties as a father, a brother or as a husband and become happy or sad depending on the outcome. My question is how can I avoid this emotional breakdown and stay connected with Krishna?
Hare Krishna Amal
The real yogi or sannyasi is one who does everything for Krishna, not one who does everything for the family. So, yes, one can be in family life and be Krishna conscious, but only if he engages the family members in Krishna consciousness also. That is the duty of the father or husband, to make his dependents Krishna conscious. That’s all. Otherwise family life is a great obstacle in the path of spiritual advancement. The whole principle of Vedic culture is to become free from this family attachment. Firstly the boys are supposed to be trained as brahmacaris and ideally they will not enter family life, they will remain as celebate students and later on take sannyasa. Of course very few will be able to remain brahmacari like this, so at least some years of brahmacari training must be there and most of them will get married and enter family life and have some children. But the idea is not to stay in family life. As soon as the man is about 50 he should have some grown-up sons who can take over the responsibility of looking after the family and then he can leave the family and seriously prosecute spiritual life.
It is a very bad situation for one to be bound up in this family attachment until the time of death. The idea is to break free of the family, not to remain tied up by it.
Krishna’s family is much bigger. Krishna is the seed-giving father of every living entity, so when we give up the family we took birth in and accept Krishna’s bigger family we are not losing anything.
As I have said in the other posts the only duty of a family man is to make the family members Krishna conscious and if the family members are not interested in becoming Krishna conscious then he really has no business staying in that family.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
“and he is the true mystic:”
Where are the true Mystics ?
Jurgen Beck
very nice prabhu ji………….
know i will try to act as given in article…….
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
That was a excellent literature “who is the real Sannyasi”. Many thanks for that. But upon some contemplation, it made me wonder, “who would not want to Serve “KRSHNA” if he could see, feel how that pleases Shree Krishna. But for the one the very common one like me, how could I be sure that my acts were pleasing Shree Krishna? And if one cannot be sure about that, sooner or later he may get doubtful and stop all is efforts. Moreover, if someone is physically disabled he might face more problems and doubts to continue his efforts. In fact I believe many will be ready to sacrifice even their life, if they could see for themselves that by that they were serving and pleasing Shree Krishna.
Hare Krishna
A bona fide spiritual master is required to guide the disciples how to serve and surrender to Krishna. Physical disability is no bar to taking to Krishna consciousness. It requires the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna and surrender to a pure devotee of Krishna. That is all. But this is actually a very rare thing…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Please accept my humble obeisance….
How a person can develop a strong faith in the spiritual master. Although I chanting 16 round and following basic principle since last three years but could not able to develop strong faith………
Hare Krishna…..
First you have to find a bona fide spiritual master. There is no point in having faith in someone who is not a pure devotee of Krishna and who is not capable of guiding you back home back to Godhead. I suggest you read Srila Prabhupada’s books and follow the instructions you will find Srila Prabhupada giving you as you read and if you do this sincerely automatically you will develop strong faith in Srila Prabhupada, a bona fide spiritual master.
Although I do not at all disagree with Madhudvisa Prabhu, we can expand the consideration of detachment from the fruits of our activities, in the following way:
Arjuna was a military man, with practical duties. Krishna’s practical advice to Arjuna was not to live in a cave like a yogi (although at one point He suggested this, but Arjuna said he could not do it.)
Krishna’s overall advice to Arjuna was to continue with his duties (which may appear as self-centered) but to do them with a desire to please Krishna. For example, I live at home with my wife. She likes the kitchen floor to be clean, swept and mopped. If I do this she becomes happy and the house becomes clean. That is fine. But Krishna does not say that we should not clean the floor. He says that we should clean the floor while understanding that Krishna is the owner of floor. It is Krishna’s floor. It is Krishna’s house – not mine. Everything belongs to Krishna. House, car, clothing, tools, family members, etc. So if the floor has to be cleaned, I should do that. But I should do the floor cleaning with the heartfelt attitude to do it in such a nice way that Krishna will be pleased. In this way all of our daily activites can be done as devotional service to Krishna.
In this way the devotee may appear like a mundane or materialistic person. His activites will be very similar to the materialistic person. But in his heart, he is always trying to please Krishna. Krishna promises that sucvh a person will not generate karmic reaction, will advance in love for Krishna, and will return to the spiritual realm to live with Krishna eternally.
As long as we live in the material world, with family, society, etc., there will be so many responsabilities, and practical duties. but all of these activites can be done in the spirit of trying to please Krishna by our work. This is a great benediction. Nothing has to be be given up, for the most part. Simply we have to change our hearts, our consciousness. And in this way we can carry on with our lives, and be situated in a cultivation of love for Krishna.
If we add this formula to the one that Madhudvisa Prabhu has outlined for us, then we cover all the bases.
Hope this is helpful. Ishan das